Station-indicator



Patented Sept. 6, I898.

No. 610,4l5.

A. H. ROGERS.

STATION INDICATOR.

(Application filed. :Aug. 28, 1897.) (No Model.) 2' Sheets-Sheet willNil

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N0. 6I0,4I5. Patented Sept, 6, I898. A. -H. ROGERS. STATION INDICATOR.

(Application filed. Aug. 28, 1897) (No Model.) 2 $heets-Sheet 2.

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ALEXANDER HUNTER ROGERS, OF eALvEsToN, TEXAs. I

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Tatent No. 610,415, datedSeptember 6, 1898. Application filed August 28,11897. Serial No-649,860. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER HUNTER ROGERS, of Galveston, in the countyof Galveston and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sta- Lion-Indicators; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to automatic street and station indicators foradvertising.

The invention is intended to be used on board passenger-cars toautomatically indicate or visually disclose the names of streets orstations as they are reached and simultaneously exhibit signs, cards,and other adver-- tising devices.

The invention consists of the combination of a suitable casing adjustedwithin view of the interior of a car, an endless apron suitably mountedupon driving and guide rollers within thecasing, a prime moverconsisting of the axle of one of the trucks of a car, and a train ofreducin g-gearin g connecting the car-axle and the driving roller orspool for driving the endless apron.

The invention further consists in the details of construction andcertain other combinations hereinafter described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming'part of this specification, Figure 1 is across-section through a car, showing myindicator arranged in one end ofthe car, a truck being shown in elevation beneath the car. Fig. 2 is across-section through the casing, showing grip and guide rollers inelevation above the floor of the car and showing the gearing between theaxle of the car and the driving-roller of the apron. Fig. 3 is a sectionat right angles with that shown in Fig. 2, showing the driving and guiderollers in section and the gearing between the axle and driving-rollerinelevation. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the casing, the bottom of thecar and one of the shaft-supporting brackets being taken in section.Fig. 5 is a top or plan view of. the gearing between the axle anddrive-roller. Fig.6 is a section in segment of the endless apron and atilting device operated by said apron. Fig. 7 is a sectional detailshowing means for clamping andholding an adjustable tension-roller inadjusted position. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail showing theclamping-nut or means for securing the take-up roll in position.

1 is a casing or cabinet arranged, as shown, in the forward left-handcorner of the pas senger-car, having glazed openings 2 and 3, theopening 2 being for disclosing the street or station signal and willordinarily be about one-third of the width of the casing, leavingtwo-thirds of the width of the casing to be utilized for advertisingpurposes. The opening 3 is considerably larger than the indicatoropening2 and represents a space constantly in view and behind which issuspended or carried advertising matter. WVithin this casing is mountedan endless apron 4:. The length of this apron will depend upon thelength of the route over which the car is designed to travel and theamount of reduction obtained through the reducing-gearing;- One part ofthis endless apron will be in a sense an epitome of the route over whichthe car travels-that is to say, there will be at intervals printed orstenciled or otherwise fixed upon the apron the name of a street orpublic building or other object of interest to which the attention of.passengers is to be drawn and these indicating-signs willbe at theirproper distances apart, the distances being proportioned to the actualdistance over which the car must pass in order to reach the pointsindicated. Parallel with these indicating signs, on one or both sides ofsuch signs, will be arranged advertising matter, which will be broughtinto view in regular order and succes sion as the car moves over theroute. The endless apron carrying the indicating-signs and theadvertising matter is supported within the casing and led over adriving-roller, around any desired and necessary number of guiderollers,and back to the driving-roller. In the way I have illustrated thisarrangement the apron extends over driving-roller 8, around one of apairof gripping-rollers 9, an adjustable or take-up roller 10, and thenceback to the point of beginning around any required number ofguide-rollers. Next to the driving-roller and arranged to grip or bitethe apron to cause it to travel is a pressure or gripping roller 11, andadjacent to the first the casing is a pressure or gripping roller. 12,v

' ,whose purpose is to provide means whereby the apron may be adjustedto the right position through the mediumof a crank 13, connected withthe shaft of roller 9. This, adjustnlent can only'take place when thegripping or pressure roller 11 has been thrown out of its grippingposition. This isdone through the medium of a lever 14:, operating a rodor shaft for lifting said roller. The lever is readily heldin'adjusted'position withthe roller raised by means of a notchedquadrant or flange 15, into which the lever readily falls, the samebeing made of spring metal. The driving-roller within the casing isoperated through a train of gear between said roller and the axle of acar. This gearing is by preference sprooket-and-chain gearing, the samebeing better adapted for this purpose than other kinds of gear. Thegearing which I have shown consists of a sprocketpinion 16, mounted onthe axle of a car, a

sprocket-wheel 17, another sprocket-pinion 18 on the shaft of the wheel17, a sprocketwheel19, a sprocket-pinion 20 on the shaft of wheel 19,and a sprocket-wheel 21 on the shaft of the roller which drives theapron. The shafts of the intermediate wheels and pinions are suitablysupported by brackets connected with the bottom of the car, and thewheels and pinions are coupled together in the usual way by means ofsprocket-chains.

Obviously the train of gearing may be carried to any extent, so as toreduce the speed of the traveling apron relatively to that of thetraveling car to any degree desired. This may be accomplished to such anextent that my device may be practically operated as a station-indicatorupon steam and other cars passing over long distances. The take-up ormovable guide-roller 10 is mounted in bearings which slide up and downin the casing through a considerable distance in slots, so that a longrange of slack maybe taken up by this roller.

In Fig. 7 is shown a means for clamping and holding the take-up roll 10in its adjusted position. This is done through the medium of lever andclamping-nut 22. In order to provide for and to give an alarm or signalwhenever the car is approaching a street or station, I provide a rockingshaft 23, suitably mounted in the sides of the casing, as the half of acylinder or rod, and arranged athwart the casing just below the glazedopening 2, this rocking shaft carrying a finger or projection 24, to beoperated or vibrated by means of metallic studs 25, projecting from theface of the endless apron. All of the rollers, both guide-rollers anddriving-rollers, are grooved, as'shown at 26, for the passage of thestuds 25. The rock-shaft 23 is connected with wires 27 in such way thatthey either make or'break an electriccircuit and connected with a bellor other like alarm, so that when the bracket on theapron comes incontact with the proj ection on the rock-shaft the alarm is sounded.

In order to compensate in a measure for the surging of the body of thecar audits move- -ment with relation to the axle of such car, I

mount the shafts carrying sprocket-wheel17 and pinion 18 and the shaftcarrying sprocketwheel 19 and pinion 20 in movable boxes 28, as shownparticularly in Figs. 4 and 5, the

boxes being held to their normal position by means of springs 29.

I11 order to arrange the position of the street or station names on "theapron, I adjust a ing street until the circuit has been made or.

the line has beencovered. Then take the belt out, out it off the properlength, and fasten together. Then you have a pattern from which you cancomplete and print as many aprons as you need. If there are more thanone road or line, repeat this operation. This indicator works equallywell going backward or forward.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In automatic station and streetindicators, the combination of a casing, an endless apron mounted withinthe casing, a gripping or pressing roller arranged above the glazedopening in the casing, means for releasing the apron from itsdriving-roller, and means as a crank or lever for turning thegrippingrollers above the opening for adjusting and properly placing theapron, substantially as described.

2. In a station and street indicator and advertising device, thecombination of an endless apron carrying the directions and advertisingmatter, suitable supports upon which said apron is mounted, a rockingshaft havin g a projection arranged athwart the passage of the apron,brackets or projections on the apron, an alarm mechanism, and intermediate connections between the alarm mechanism and the rocking shaft,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER HUNTER ROGERS.

IVitnesses:

R. W". CAMPBELL, R. H. FULKERSON.

